


Show Your Soul

by relanah_qahs



Series: Whumptober 2020 Turks Edition [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Begging, Blood, Discovering Their Feelings, Enemy to Caretaker, F/M, Guilt, Gun Violence, Healing, Hiding Emotions, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Interrogation scene, Let's Hang Out Sometime, Near Death, Psychological Torture, Support, Waking up Restrained, Whumptober 2020, get it out, i've got you, no. 1 - Freeform, no.6, no.7, please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:27:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26318689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/relanah_qahs/pseuds/relanah_qahs
Summary: Psychological conditioning trained them to hide their true emotions for the sake of their mission. But after coming close to death at the City of the Ancients, Elena and Tseng realize they have a right to show their feelings to each other.One-shot prompts inspired by Whumptober 2020 challenge on Tumblr No. 1 "Let's Hang Out Sometime", No.6 "Please...", No.7 "I've Got You"
Relationships: Elena/Tseng (Compilation of FFVII)
Series: Whumptober 2020 Turks Edition [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912327
Kudos: 7
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Let's Hang Out Sometime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tseng wakes up in the Forgotten Capital injured and restrained. The quiet air of the abandoned city frightens him, but he must be strong and get Elena to safety. But a certain remnant may have other plans...

Light flooded into his vision as Tseng slowly peeled his eyes open, intensifying the throbbing ache in his temple. He was laid face down on the dirt with his hair matted with mud and dried blood, his wrists bound tightly behind him with leather straps. He shivered in the frigid air of the bay of the fresh, clear lake. Tseng took in a sharp inhale as he strained to turn himself over to examine his surroundings; a forest, the bark of the trees a pale, glowing white. The fading, low sunlight suggested it was already late afternoon. Once he had managed to push himself to his side, he noticed the large, bone-like structure across from the lake. The Forgotten Capital. Where _she_ had spent her final moments. 

Why was he brought here? The last thing Tseng remembered was retrieving JENOVA’s head from the Northern Crater then being attacked by a dark, whispery ghost, and a sharp pain to his forehead before everything faded to black. Elena, she took the specimen--did she manage to escape in the chopper? It was their mission, the most important the Turks had ever done. The remaining pieces of the Calamity was the key to finding the cure for Geostigma, the blight of an angry lifestream. 

As Tseng looked out across the lake, words echoed through his mind. _Jenova, lifestream, planet’s life, calamity, holy, Aerith, geostigma, Rufus, Shinra’s fault, my fault…_

The air was so still. No life remained in this quiet city that had been abandoned for millennia, no animals, birds, or possibly even insects. Only the eerie silence that loomed over the ruins. Tseng could hear his breath shake and his heart beat wildly in his chest. The spinning in his head was slowly dying down. Overwhelming terror seized him as he felt the presence of another. With great effort, he slowly turned to face them, fighting through the pain in his back and arms, the binds on his wrist also causing a hindrance. Mixed emotions coursed through him as he saw her. The young woman in her Turks uniform covered in blood splatter, unconscious, leaning back against the tree, her hands tied in front of her.   
Tseng was anguished to see that Elena hadn’t managed to escape, but also couldn’t help but feel relief that he wasn’t alone. 

“ _Elena_ ,” Tseng’s voice was hoarse as he tried to wake his partner, but there was no response. He coughed as he tried to sit himself upright. As the sleepiness faded, he became more aware of his injuries; a cracked rib that made breathing painful and prevented him from sitting up, a wound to his temple that he suspected was from the graze of a barely missed gunshot then lazily healed with a basic cure spell. Tseng studied Elena, the left side of her face was badly bruised, perhaps she was knocked unconscious from a punch or other kind of blow to her head. She was breathing normally, for which Tseng silently thanked whichever god could be listening.   
Tseng had been in dangerous situations before, it certainly wasn’t the first time he woke up restrained, waiting for some enemy to interrogate him. Such was the life of the Turks. But now was different somehow. The frigid, lifeless air of the Forgotten City chilled him to the bone. The lack of noise or any signs of life made him feel a unique loneliness and desperation, only the noise of his frantic heartbeat to gain his attention. They had to get out of here, but how? His materia and weapons were gone, taken by the enemy. The leather bindings on his wrists cut deeply, his hands were cold from the broken circulation. Tseng had no choice but to trust in Elena, if he could get her to wake up. 

Tseng desperately called Elena’s name again, his voice rang out across the woods. Suddenly the crack of twigs signifying steps filled the air and silenced his cries. Tseng looked up to see the enemy slowly approaching them.

“ _Well, well. Look who’s finally awake_.” The young man with long silver hair stepped close to Tseng, blocking his view of Elena, and crouched down next to him. His raspy and airy voice was grating to Tseng’s ears. Tseng forced himself to change his expression to a neutral one, summoning all of his years of experience and training for the Turks to overcome the terror he felt right now. 

But Tseng knew nothing could have prepared him for this kind of enemy--a Sephiroth remnant. A child of JENOVA itself. A being with the strength and abilities of the extraterrestrial abomination with the cognition of a human but without any sense of morality or empathy. Tseng knew he and Elena stood no chance against them, not in the state they were in now. But this was a mission, one which the fate of all those suffering from geostigma depended on. That Rufus depended on. No matter what, they could not let them get their hands on JENOVA’s head.

It took all of Tseng’s might to keep his composure as the remnant reached out its hand and brushed the hair away from his face, its touch provoking an involuntary shudder of disgust and terror. It smiled, its silver inhuman eyes cold and dead.

“ _Tell us where Mother is._ ”


	2. Please...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt No.6 PLEASE… “get it out”, no more, “stop, please”

The sting of the cold water hitting her face was what woke Elena from unconsciousness. She let out a frightened, involuntary gasp as her head still spun. As she quickly reached coherence, she noticed the pounding in her head, the side of her face covered in dried blood, and the aching of her wrists which were bound tightly in front of her. She didn’t have time to think, crouching in front of her was a boy with long, silver hair and cat-like green eyes. A Jenova-spawn pretending to be human.

“ _ Rise and shine,”  _ It’s raspy voice sent a shudder through her spine. Its face was only inches away from hers, invading her boundaries and heightening her fear. She almost let her fear show, her emotional barriers were significantly weakened with the injuries and mental fog. She blinked, fighting to keep a neutral expression on her face as she looked upon her captor’s empty smile. 

“Elena, was it?” The Jenova-spawn spoke slowly in an almost breezy tone. “That’s what your friend here called you.” It stood up straight and stepped aside, revealing the man lying on his side, his arms bound behind his back. Tseng grimaced with pain, his dark eyes burned with anger. Elena felt herself go cold at the sight of the bloodied wound on his temple. 

“ _ Tseng, _ ” she called out to him. “What happened?” 

Tseng lowered his gaze, his long hair cascading over his face. He grunted, “Elena, forgive me.”

“Allow me to explain what’s happened, Elena.” The captor crouched down beside Tseng and brushed back a lock of his hair which caused Tseng to wince at his touch. “My name is Yazoo. We met at the Northern Crater; my brothers Kadaj and Loz were there as well. You stole something very precious to me and my brothers. So Loz knocked you unconscious and I shot your friend, Tseng was it? While you were sleeping, Elena, Tseng and I have been chatting. But it wasn’t so productive, was it Tseng?” Yazoo spoke slowly and softly, as if almost in a whisper, quiet enough to command all of Elena’s attention to his words. 

Elena shook her head, the pain of her attack still throbbing. Still, she swallowed her fear enough to answer Yazoo fiercely. “What do you think we stole?”

Yazoo’s expression remained blank, there was no way to tell if he was angry or determined. If he even felt anything at all. He stood above Elena, the stare from his cold, dead eyes like an ice pick into her soul. “You took the essence of my mother’s body. I don’t think or suspect anything, I know with certainty that you have taken her somewhere.”

“Your mother?”

“You already know her. They call her the _Calamity_ _from the Skies_. She fell to this planet two thousand years ago, she will gather all her children and together we will take back this planet’s lifestream and travel to conquer a new world.”

“The Calamity,” said Elena. “You really think Jenova is your mother? That hideous, headless alien corpse? It’s just a bunch of cells in a box now.” 

Yazoo’s expression changed, a quiet rage consuming his eyes. He kneeled down at eye-level with Elena. She gasped as he grabbed a fistful of her hair at her scalp. “You will not talk about Mother that way,” he said in a cold and sharp threat. “Or else I may end up forgetting my manners.” He let go of her hair, leaving Elena’s scalp stinging. “Now, you will tell me what you have done with Mother. I asked Tseng, but he refused to cooperate. It’s all up to you now, Elena. But remember, I am the more powerful one here.”

“Elena, don’t..” said Tseng, his voice hoarse and shaking. 

“I’m not going to tell you where that space abomination is, you freak!” 

Yazoo’s face returned to its blank expression. “Very well. You are the one responsible for this then.” Yazoo took out his bladed gun and, without hesitation, fired two shots into Tseng’s leg. Tseng let out a blood-curdling scream in pain, mixing with Elena’s scream in horror. 

“ _ You fucking monster! _ What is wrong with you?” Elena’s fear disappeared, completely replaced with a howling rage she had never experienced before. Blood pooled around Tseng, his screams and sobs echoing through the lifeless forest. 

“You  _ will _ tell me where Mother is!” Yazoo yelled over Tseng’s cries. “I will force it out of you if I need to!”

“Elena..please,” cried Tseng. “Don’t say anything.”

“Tseng, I’m sorry.” Elena choked back tears, the thought of her boss and dear friend dying and leaving her alone with this freak frightened her. But this mission was too important. Everyone suffering from the stigma depended on them. “I won’t say it, I’m not telling you a fucking thing! This is our only hope of curing Geostigma. We won’t let you destroy this world!”

Yazoo sighed. “Is this hope even greater than your friend’s life? It would seem so. Since even the threat of his death will not deter you, I suppose I must change my approach.” Yazoo slowly raised his hand, a mass of black air resembling thick smoke surrounded it. He held the black substance only inches away from Elena’s face, its pungent smell of mako and decay overwhelmed her senses. He grabbed her hair at the base of her skull tightly. “Hold still,” he said. “Tseng needs to see this.”

The corrupted mako slowly penetrated her nostrils. It was the worst and most painful sensation she had ever felt in her life. It felt like thousands of microscopic bugs crawling their way inside her: Up her nose, down her throat, through her ear canals, in the back of her eyes. Moving ever so slowly, it burned everything it touched. The taste, the smell, the  _ noise _ . In her ears the corrupted lifestream was screeching. Her throat burned, as if a caustic smoke was burning away her delicate flesh. Was she screaming? She couldn’t breathe, she could feel the substance burning away inside her lungs. And inside her head, the sensation of venomous bugs crawling around in her brain. She wanted to die. If it was possible for any coherent thought to form in her mind she would have prayed for any end to this torture.

_ Get it out _

_ Get it out _

_ Get it out _

“ _ It’s in Healen! _ ” 

Yazoo pulled the spell back from Elena. She felt it all being ripped from her--the bugs, the smoke, the screeching. She gagged and vomited out a mixture of stomach acid and blood. Tears overflowed out of her eyes as her head throbbed with intense pain.

She could hear Tseng’s voice.

“Healen. It’s a medical center in the cliffs east of Midgar. That’s where they took Jenova’s cells. Now please... _ let her go. _ ” 

* * *

Tseng could feel his life slipping away with the blood flowing out of his leg. He was cold, but strangely calm as the pain had mostly subsided. His heart was heavy with shame and guilt, but also felt relief that he had saved Elena.

_ Reno, Rude, it’s all up to you now, _ he thought.  _ Rufus...Rufus, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I failed to protect you. I’m sorry I never told you how much your friendship meant to me.  _

“Elena…” His voice was weak, but he cried out to her. He didn’t want to die alone. 

“Tseng, I’m here.” She was still sobbing, obviously still in pain and shock from the spell. Elena crawled to him and placed one hand on his chest and the other in his hand. Her touch melted away his fear.

There was so much he wanted to say.  _ Elena, thank you. Thank you for being with me through everything ever since Meteor. I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I made you suffer.  _

_ “ _ I’m sorry…” Those were the only words he could let out as his voice gave out. He could feel his consciousness fading from him, his vision turning red. 

_ “No, get away from him! Stop! Let him go!” _

The red phantom lifted him from the ground, a warmth enveloped his body as everything faded to darkness.


	3. I've Got You

Elena felt herself calming down as the cooling effect of the healing spell washed over her injuries, both external and internal. The crimson-cloaked man was focusing his concentration onto the Full Cure materia that he pressed lightly against her temple. It was an impressive feat, Elena had to admit, to concentrate his energy to a powerful restorative spell through a larger organic materia. And he managed to perform this spell not just once on her but also on Tseng’s gunshot wounds. Even experts of materia and magic would have trouble performing even one Full Cure spell, it required a far greater amount of magic potential than what most humans could possess. 

Perhaps he wasn’t human. His red eyes, deathly pale skin, and long black hair made him downright unsettling to look at. Elena’s mind was admittedly still in a fog, but she could have sworn that this man seemed to shape-shift from the red phantom that had carried them to the safety of this ancient house. 

“You don’t need to scowl like that,” said the stranger, his voice deep yet soft. “Just trying to help you.” He tucked the materia into the slot of his armband, next to a pink ribbon that seemed out of place with the rest of his outfit.

“What are you?” said Elena. Her fear was subsiding along with the pain, yet she was still cautious.

The man made a noise which may have been a short chuckle, though it sounded more like what a monster trying to mimic human laughter would sound like. “What indeed. A lab rat, a freak show, an undead abomination, a disgruntled ex-Shinra employee; all of those are true to some extent, so take your pick.”

“Ex-Shinra employee? Well, with everything else you said, that just raises more questions than answers.”

“Don’t feel like answering.” He leaned back into his chair. 

“Oh come on! You can’t just say shocking stuff like that and just expect me to accept it. How do I know you really want to help anyway? How do I know you’re not one of those Jenova freaks and you’re just waiting to torture us some more?”

He shrugged. “Why would I go through all the trouble of saving you if I was allied with Kadaj’s gang? I can assure you we have the same goals. We both want to put an end to the madness plaguing this planet, Elena.”

Elena’s head shot up while she clenched her fist tightly, instinctively ready for a protective stance. “Why do you know my name?”   
“Sorry. Guess it’s time to tell you. For the past year or so I’ve been trailing the current Turks trying to gather information about geostigma alongside you. Don’t worry, he knows.” He nodded his head toward the bed. Tseng was laid upon it, still unconscious but seeming to sleep soundly now that his wound was mended. He was sickly pale, a sign of the massive blood loss he had suffered from the gunshot to the artery in his leg. 

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. What was going on? Who was this guy and why did Tseng allow him to follow her?   
“Who are you? And what do you mean by ‘current Turks?’” 

“Vincent. By current Turks, I mean you and Tseng as well as the other two men who are still loyal to the son of the late President Shinra.” Vincent paused for a moment, allowing Elena to process his words. “Elena, how long have you considered yourself a Turk?”

“Well, I was hired after Sector 7 was destroyed. So I guess it’s been a little over two and a half years now.”

“And why, after everything you have been through, everything you’ve seen, do you still pledge your life and loyalty to a company that’s in ruins?”

Elena opened her mouth to protest but found she couldn’t find the words. Who did this Vincent guy think he was to ask something like that? What gave him the right? Why did Tseng let him follow her? How could he possibly understand? 

But still, his question burned through her mind. Why was she still so loyal to Shinra? Even after all the harm and pain they had caused the Planet and her people? After they had nearly destroyed the lifestream out of greed? Why did she continue to dedicate her entire life to the Turks even in spite of her complicated history with them and her family? 

_Because we are trying to fix the mistakes of the past. Because I believe Rufus and the Turks are capable of rebuilding this world. Because Dad and Emma are gone, and Tseng, Reno, and Rude are my family now. Because without them, I wouldn’t have a home to go to. Wherever they are, that is where my home is. Because together, we are going to stop this madness and save this Planet._

“Don’t feel like answering you,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows. 

Vincent showed a hint of a half-smile behind his cowl. “Fair enough.” 

They sat in silence. Elena focused her attention on Tseng. He was still sound asleep, some of the color had returned to his cheeks. The Full Cure spell was running its course through his body.

“Will he be okay?” she asked, fighting to control the shaking in her voice.

Vincent shrugged, “Don’t know. You should really consider getting some rest yourself. I’ll keep watch, so you don’t need to worry about intruders.” 

A slight groan came from Tseng, slowly returning to consciousness. 

“Tseng!” Elena whispered. She stood beside the bed and placed her hand on his shoulder. 

Tseng blinked, taking in the sight of the ancient room. His eyes met Elena’s and he took a deep breath. “Elena,” he said, his voice hoarse and brittle. “Are you alright?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. Way better than you, that’s for sure.” She tried to force a smile, trying desperately to take the attention off herself. She didn’t want to be reminded of what that silver-haired freak had done to her. 

Tseng looked past Elena, making eye contact with Vincent. “Surprised to see you here.” 

“I was just stopping by and happened to see you getting roughed up,” said Vincent. Elena was surprised at his humor and casual speech. 

“Thank gods you got there when you did. Thank you, Vincent.”

Elena pulled her hand back to herself and looked away from Tseng in shame. “Tseng, I’m sorry. I was too weak and I couldn’t fight back. And you got hurt because of me…” She dared not show any emotion in her voice. She was truly sorry, and she really did believe it was her fault Tseng was hurt and that danger was now headed towards their friends. 

“Elena, stop.” Tseng reached and pulled Elena’s hand back to him, his grip tight. He spoke quietly through his heightened emotions and labored breathing. “You did nothing wrong. You did everything you could.” 

“Going to check outside,” said Vincent as he stood up and walked to the door. “Shout if you need anything.” He left the two Turks alone in silence.

Tseng gripped Elena’s hand tightly over his heart. He stared into her eyes, trying to find the words and the strength to say what he needed. 

He sighed. “Elena, you are an excellent Turk, and you always were. Did I ever tell you how proud I am of you? Well now you know.”

Elena lowered her gaze. Tseng had never complimented her before, she felt pride but also unease at his honesty.

He continued speaking through shaking breaths and fighting through the pain. “Back there, I thought it was all over. I was afraid. I didn’t want to die alone. But you helped ease my fear. And there was so much I wanted to say to you. I realized I never showed you my appreciation for being with me since Meteorfall. I wanted to thank you for everything. And I wanted to apologize to you for hurting you so much over the years.   
“We Turks traded our humanity for the job. Our souls belonged to the company. Stoic professionalism is what we strived for. And you exemplified all the strengths of the perfect Turk. But Elena, I think we let it consume you. Shinra is gone. It’s never going to be rebuilt and it’s time we accepted that. If I make it out of here alive, I’m going to reclaim my humanity. I want to show my soul, my true self. I want to tell the others how much I love them.  
“And Elena, I hope you can cast away your Turk identity. I want to know the real you.”

Elena felt tears stinging her eyes, but turned her head away so he couldn’t see. How could Tseng hide this side of him all this time? 

“Tseng, I...I don’t know what to say.” Her voice was shaking now, almost on the verge of breaking all her barriers.

“If I survive this, I hope you can stay by my side.”

And with that earnest request, all of Elena’s barriers were destroyed at once. Sobs escaped her throat and the tears burst from her sore eyes. It was as if she was finally crying for everything she had repressed for the past few years. All the trauma, the heartbreak, the grief--everything was flooding out now. She buried her face in his chest. Tseng wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. 

“Tseng, of course you will survive this. Of course I’ll stay with you, you dumbass!”


End file.
